Murder of 82-year-old man may have been retaliation

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. (April 27, 2015) - Indianapolis Metropolitan police detectives are looking into whether the recent murder of an elderly man was an act of revenge.

Robert Woods, 82, died after somebody fired several shots Friday night through the glass door of his apartment unit in the 1400 block of Edmondson Avenue in the Warren Park neighborhood. Police initially responded to a call about shots fired just before 11 p.m. Friday, but did not locate a shooting scene. Woods’ cousin found the elderly man shot to death Saturday morning.

That same cousin said Robert Woods was a former minister who’s health was in decline. Woods was on dialysis.

Investigators said the believed Woods had been targeted for murder, and the shooting was not a random act.

Detectives are now looking for possible connections to Woods’ son, 22-year-old Robert Woods. He is currently in the Marion County Jail, charged with the April 17 murder of 17-year-old Kevin Cheeks. He is also charged in a separate attempted murder case and was named as a possible suspect in multiple armed robberies. Several of those robberies involved victims being lured over Facebook to buy items before they were robbed.

That leaves several people who may have wanted to get back at the younger Woods by targeting his father.

While police can not definitively say whether retaliation was a motive in the Friday night homicide, it is emerging as a leading theory.

“We certainly feel for the true innocent victims of crimes, especially if they are targeted as a result of the bad deeds of their relatives,” said IMPD Lt. Richard Riddle.

Detectives released surveillance video footage of a grey or silver SUV that was seen driving through the apartment complex around the time gunshots were reported Friday night. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (317) 262-TIPS.